8:50

Registration and Coffee

9:00

Welcome from the MC

9:10

Welcome from Tech New Zealand

9:20

Ministerial Address: The Digital Government Vision 2026: Trust, transparency and tangible outcomes

Minister is under invitation

9:40

Keynote: Accelerating digitisation – breaking barriers, building momentum

As New Zealand’s public sector faces increasing expectations for seamless, trusted, and inclusive digital services, this keynote explores how government can accelerate digitisation by removing structural, cultural, and delivery barriers that slow progress.

Delivered from a system-wide perspective, the session outlines how the public service can move beyond fragmented initiatives to build sustained momentum through shared vision, coordinated execution, and citizen-centric design.

Senior representative from GCDO's office

10:20

Morning break

10.50

The role of digital transformation in public sector reform

Digital transformation is no longer a supporting initiative—it is a core driver of public sector reform in Aotearoa New Zealand. This session examines how digital capability, data, and modern service design are reshaping how government operates, delivers outcomes, and builds trust with New Zealanders.

Focusing on reform as both a structural and cultural shift, the discussion explores how digital transformation enables more agile policymaking, more efficient service delivery, and stronger accountability across the public service.

11:20

Panel: Building in equity and trust

Public trust is foundational to effective government, and equity must be intentionally designed into public services—not treated as an afterthought. This panel explores how public sector leaders can strengthen social licence by embedding transparency, inclusivity, and fairness into the design and delivery of digital and non-digital services.

Drawing on New Zealand’s unique social, cultural, and regulatory context, the discussion examines how agencies can balance innovation with accountability while ensuring services meet the needs of diverse communities.

11:50

Panel: Digital Public Infrastructure: From buzzword to backbone

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is increasingly referenced as a foundation for modern government—but what does it mean in practice for Aotearoa New Zealand? This panel moves beyond theory to examine how DPI can become a practical backbone for delivering secure, scalable, and citizen-centred public services.

The discussion focuses on how shared digital building blocks, open standards, and interoperable systems can reduce duplication, improve resilience, and enable faster service innovation across government.

12:20

Session TBC

12:40

Lunch

13:30

Session TBC

13:50

Panel: AI in Government – power, potential & pitfalls

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how governments make decisions, deliver services, and manage risk. For public sector leaders, the challenge is not whether to adopt AI—but how to lead its use responsibly, transparently, and in a way that delivers real public value.

This panel explores the evolving role of AI in government, from decision support and service automation to emerging agentic AI models that can act autonomously across systems. Panellists will examine both the transformative potential of AI and the governance, ethical, and operational risks that must be actively managed.

14:20

Panel: Service modernisation roadmap for unified customer experiences

As expectations for simple, secure, and consistent public services continue to rise, government agencies are under pressure to modernise services in ways that feel seamless to customers while remaining resilient, secure, and scalable behind the scenes.

This panel explores how public sector leaders can develop and execute service modernisation roadmaps that unify customer experiences across channels and agencies, without compromising safety, privacy, or operational integrity.

14:50

Session TBC

15:10

Closing Keynote: Leading digital government in 2026 and beyond

As the public sector navigates increasing complexity, fiscal pressure, and rising expectations from citizens, strong leadership will be critical to shaping the future of digital government in Aotearoa New Zealand. This closing keynote looks ahead to what effective digital leadership must prioritise in 2026 and beyond, across investment, delivery, and outcomes.

Drawing together themes from across the conference, the session challenges leaders to move from strategy to sustained execution, ensuring digital initiatives deliver measurable public value and long-term resilience.

This discussion will be fomalised shortly.

15:40

Closing remarks from the MC